Sew It Seams: Dear Jane Quilt

Veronica introduces you to the Dear Jane Quilt and begins her journey of making each block... all 225 of them!

[@lorrainemoore3494]

Hello Veronica. I am doing the EPP version of Dear Jane and it has taken 16 months so far to finish all the blocks and 8 triangles for the border. I am 77 years old and determined to finish it God willing. This quilt is amazing and I am a real Janiac now and looking forward to seeing your videos. Cheers

[@sewitseamscreations]

Impressive! I have a quilting friend that loves EPP. When I first started making these blocks I'd never heard of that method. I may give it a try with some blocks. You are so close to getting all the blocks done for your quilt! I'd love to see it when it's done. Will you be doing a scalloped border like the original?

[@lorrainemoore3494]

EPP is hard on the hands but will persevere. Yes I want to do the scallops, I have just finished a quilt with a sawtooth. hem and love it.@@sewitseamscreations

[@mamaprepper5]

Very informative video. I often wonder about the things left behind by our ancestors. I bet dear Jane did not imagine her quilt would be saved in a museum for posterity sake.

[@sewitseamscreations]

You're right! I'm sure this was something she worked on just to keep busy and possible stave off worry during the war. Some day I'd like to see the original quilt.

[@janemartin229]

Wow! What an intricate quilt. I love the border (I can picture a Christmas-themed quilt because they look like trees to me) with the scalloped edge. Of course, I love the name! I was named after my great-grandmother who lived to quilt. Her hands were busy all the time piecing and quilting on a big wooden frame that hung from her living room ceiling. She lived to be over a hundred years old.

[@sewitseamscreations]

What a special joy to be named after your great-grandmother who had such a long life and legacy! I, too, love the border but it also intimidates me a little. But bit by bit I'll get each block, including those triangles, done! I've seen some quilts where the makers left off the scallops and it just didn't look right to me, so I will definitely be adding that scallop.

[@peggyisme]

A block a day should work

[@sewitseamscreations]

If I didn't have business sewing to do a block a day would be possible! It's always a dance of getting what needs to be done and doing what I want to do. :)

[@quiltingforthesoul]

Hello Veronica I have been wanting to make Dear Jane for 2 years so I’m going to make it starting in January next year. A couple of my subscribers are going to do a sew. The is so beautiful and I want to hand stitch my. But it’s a lady on KZbin who has made several Dear Jane quilts and videos I been watching her videos to build myself up to make the quilt. I enjoy your video I will be on look out for you. The you for your time God bless you and your family. The lady on KZbin is Poole’s Piecing look her up I think you like her.

[@sewitseamscreations]

Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm so glad you've been enjoying my videos. How fun to do a sew-along making the Dear Jane quilt. You can do it!! It just takes time and patience. :) Thank you for the recommendation to check out Poole's Piecing. I haven't tried her method of EPP but maybe I will on a few blocks. Thank you for visiting!

[@thesimplestitch946]

I'm so happy i've found you. I've tried making a few of these blocks but have'nt been very successful. Maybe now i will be.

[@sewitseamscreations]

Some of them really are quite confusing to figure out! I'm so glad you find my videos useful. Give a shout if you have any questions and welcome to the journey!

[@fredluedeman9214]

V, this is a very interesting info video. I'll be watching for more, I have had a misunderstanding about the Dear Jane and thought that because all of your blocks are hand sewn, that it is always handsewn. Makes it a little easier if those tiny pieces can be sewn by machine. Thank you for making this video.

[@sewitseamscreations]

I'm sure it would be much easier at times to do it by machine! My hand piecing at the beginning was pretty rough but it's gotten so much better after making 100 blocks. :) I'm sure if I started another quilt I'd piece it by machine. Thank you for watching!

[@MyQuiltProjects]

I just subscribed and will enjoy watching you create. I did the Kathryn Kerr 365 quilt block challenge and am kind of addicted to sampler quilts.

[@sewitseamscreations]

Thank you! Yes, there's just something about sampler quilts that calls to me, too!

[@AWalkWithSusan]

Hi Veronica I was wondering what your opinion is on the Dear Jane Rulers? I was thinking of purchasing them. I have the Dear Jane book as well as the Dear Jane Add On for EQ8. Thank you.

[@sewitseamscreations]

The triangle ruler, I feel, is needed to get the right placement of the triangles to trim. You could get away without using the 5" square ruler, but it is nice that this ruler has the 1/4" seam allowance all around it. It makes trimming easier. If you're able to find the rules at a good price, I'd say it's worth it. Especially since there are 225 blocks and triangles in this thing!

[@valeriecampey4495]

Hi Veronica, I came across your Temperature Quilt video. As that is my next project, I would like to know the finished size of your hst please. Many thanks, Val

[@sewitseamscreations]

Hi, Val! (My maiden name had the initials VAL. ;) ) The hst finish out at 1.5". It worked out to be a great size to see the temp colors without becoming a massive quilt. Are you doing yours for 2024?

[@anneyoung1011]

How much background fabric do you need for dear Jane quilt?

[@sewitseamscreations]

I'm sorry it took me a while to reply. We are in the middle of fair week! The book suggests 5 yards but that seems to be extremely low. From my research it seems that most recommend 12-15 yards of fabric for the background. There are a LOT of tiny pieces and all those seems really eat up the fabric.

[@dianecollins6304]

i just started my "Dear Jane".

[@sewitseamscreations]

How exciting! Do you have a particular color or type of fabric you're going to be using?

[@dianecollins6304]

@@sewitseamscreations I've been collecting 19th century medley of the month from Keepsake quilting for over a year; so I have plenty. The background will be white on whites. I have 3 done so far. I don't have a time limit; it takes as long as it takes.

[@sewitseamscreations]

@@dianecollins6304 I'm the same way. I just enjoy making them when I can.